Jobs in Dumfries and Galloway

Thanks to support from Museums Galleries Scotland Leadership Capacity Fund, The Robert Burns Ellisland Trust seeks to appoint a Finance and Funding Co-ordinator to support delivery of the “Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne”, a major heritage-led regeneration project focused on the conservation, restoration and reinterpretation of Ellisland Farm, the home built by Robert Burns in 1788.

Ellisland is internationally significant as the place where Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne and Tam o Shanter. The project has successfully completed RIBA Stage 3, secured Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent, and is currently progressing through RIBA Stage 4 technical design work.

The Trust has secured significant development funding from organisations including:

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund
• Museums Galleries Scotland
• South of Scotland Enterprise
• Dumfries and Galloway Council
• UK Shared Prosperity Fund
• The Holywood Trust

As the project enters an increasingly complex delivery and fundraising phase, the Trust wishes to strengthen operational capacity to support project financial administration, grant monitoring and reporting.

Purpose of the Role

The role will support the co-ordination and administration of multiple live funding streams and major capital project development activity.

The role will support:

• grant claims and monitoring,
• project financial administration,
• expenditure tracking,
• spreadsheet and reporting systems,
• funding compliance,
• and project co-ordination.

The successful candidate will help ensure that project finances, grant claims, supporting evidence and monitoring information are accurately maintained across multiple funding streams and project phases.

The role will work closely with the Project Director, Operations Manager, accountants and consultants and will attend relevant project and funder meetings in order to develop a detailed understanding of project funding requirements and reporting obligations.

This is a practical project delivery and co-ordination role intended to strengthen organisational capacity and support the effective day-to-day management of the project and relieve pressures on senior staff.

Key Responsibilities

Grant Claims & Funding Administration

• Support preparation of grant claims to organisations including The National Lottery Heritage Fund, South of Scotland Enterprise, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Dumfries and Galloway Council
• Maintain accurate records of invoices, expenditure, VAT, payroll evidence and supporting documentation
• Co-ordinate evidence and paperwork required for grant claims and monitoring returns
• Assist with grant compliance and reporting requirements

Financial Administration & Controls

• Support implementation of project financial controls and monitoring systems
• Assist with processing invoices, expenses and payment workflows through Xero and associated systems
• Support the development of purchase order and expenditure tracking systems
• Help maintain accurate project financial records and audit trails
• Assist with co-ordination of approvals and supporting documentation for payments and claims

Project Monitoring & Reporting

• Maintain and update project monitoring spreadsheets and grant trackers
• Support reconciliation between project spreadsheets, grant claims and Xero records
• Assist the Project Director and Operations Manager with expenditure monitoring and reporting
• Help establish tracking systems for new project phases and funding streams

Project & Administrative Support

• Prepare spreadsheets and project information to support funding applications, reporting and project management
• Support preparation of reports and papers for funders, trustees and consultants
• Maintain organised digital filing systems and project records
• Assist with ad hoc project administration linked to funding and project delivery

Liaison & Meetings

• Attend relevant project meetings and funder meetings
• Support co-ordination of information between staff, consultants, accountants and funders
• Assist with preparation of information required for procurement and Delivery Phase planning

Person Specification

Essential

• Strong organisational and administrative skills
• Excellent spreadsheet and data management skills
• Experience of grant administration, project co-ordination or financial administration
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to manage large volumes of information and documentation
• Ability to work independently and prioritise workloads
• Good written communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively within a small team environment

Desirable

• Experience of heritage, charity, cultural or capital projects
• Experience of public-sector or lottery-funded projects
• Familiarity with Xero or similar accounting systems
• Experience of grant claims and reporting processes
• Experience handling payroll evidence and VAT-related documentation
• Experience supporting financial controls and expenditure monitoring systems

About Alternative Routes #Cashback

Our Alternative Routes service, funded by Cash Back for Communities, will work in partnership with Dumfries & Galloway Council and other community partners to provide alternative routes to young people aged 10 to 25 who are involved with or at risk of becoming involved with the criminal justice system. Our service will take a whole system approach and provide support within our community hubs in Dumfries, Annan and Stranraer. We will follow a whole family, whole community approach to ensure our young people and have increased opportunities to achieve their goals.

What we are looking for....

We are looking to recruit a Young People’s Workers to join our Alternative Routes #Cashback Service who will work 30 hours per week based in Stranraer. These hours will be worked in line with the needs of the families and young people we will be supporting and may include evenings, weekends and public holidays. This post is currently funded until 31st January 2029 by CashBack for Communities, and we are actively seeking further funding.

We are looking for someone to join our team in who is passionate about supporting children and young people to secure the best possible outcomes as they live and grow within their communities. Our aim is to ensure that children, young people and families are supported to build on their strengths, assets and interests to develop enduring capacity and resilience. Applicants should be enthusiastic, energetic and committed and, working in a culture based on respect, integrity, innovation and the ability to challenge.

You will bring a fresh and collaborative approach and, in discussion with the management team be willing to try new approaches to ensure strong and trusting relationships are developed with families and stakeholders.

You will have relevant experience and a sound knowledge of working with young people and families within communities, including child/adult protection issues as well as having experience of working with children and young people with trauma. You will recognise the diversity of communities, how approaches differ in localities and how we adapt our approach to these changing environments. You will hold a relevant professional qualification at SCQF level 7 or above.

At Aberlour we want to make sure every child and young person has the love, support and opportunity they need to reach their potential. If you share the same vision, we want you to join our team. To have a look at our values to understand more about what we are looking for from our employees click here.

What we offer...

As well as a supportive team and excellent training opportunities, we want all our employees to feel valued and rewarded for the vital work they do. When you work with us, we'll recognise your efforts with generous annual leave, an excellent employer pension scheme and a range of deals and discounts across various retailers. Find out more about our Employee Benefits and our commitment to Equality and Diversity.

Change Mental Health is a leading national mental health charity providing unique support to people with severe and enduring mental ill health. With over 50 years’ experience across Scotland, they believe people affected by poor mental health and illness deserve the highest quality of support in the community and that every person has the right to be valued and to share in the opportunities, challenges, and joys of everyday life.

The charity’s goal is to change mental health services for the better: to make them more accessible, more people centered and of a higher quality. Change Mental Health want to do exactly what their name suggests; to change the stigma around mental health and mental illness, so that more people can access the support they need.

Fundraising at Change Mental Health is highly relational and deeply people focused. This brand new Fundraiser role offers the chance to build meaningful relationships with supporters, volunteers, community groups and businesses, many of whom are motivated by personal connections to mental health. Each week in the Fundraiser role will be different, and much of the role takes place outside the office, including attending events, meeting fundraisers, visiting corporate partners and representing Change Mental Health across Scotland.

This role could suit someone with experience within a fundraising team who is looking to broaden their scope, work in a national charity or work for a cause thats positively impacting mental health.

Where the role fits in our organisation

Our Communities and Place team consists of our Community Transport, Employability, Volunteering, Children and Families and Locality teams. This role sits within the Community Transport team, although the focus of the role is on Business Support, Employability and Volunteering – no technical knowledge of Transport or bus driving is required.

What You'll Do

The Connecting Communities Development Officer will play a critical role in creating and assuring the sustainability of Community Transport across Dumfries and Galloway over the next 4 years. There is significant value to be unlocked within this sector by the addition of development capacity through this role and we are excited about the opportunities for this new team.

A detailed knowledge of Transport or Community Transport is not needed for this role – it is a business support role, and will not involve the direct delivery of any community transport operations. There will be no driving, no logistics planning and no working directly with drivers.

Instead, this role will support Community Transport Operators (CTOs) with the evolution of their Business Plans, grant finding, volunteer recruitment and employability opportunities. You will form great relationships with the CTO Managers, making sure you add real value amongst their daily jobs.

This role would suit someone with experience of working in business support or administration for a third sector organisation and with ambitions to make an even bigger difference to the people of Dumfries and Galloway through a regional role, or a new entrant with the correct skills and approach.

The role will be line managed and supported by the Lead for Community Transport and further supported by the wider TSDG Comms and Business Support teams. We are advertising for the Lead Officer in parallel with this post, so this is an exciting opportunity to join and shape a new regional project in Dumfries and Galloway.

It is principally a 9am – 5pm, 4 day/week role, with very limited evening or weekend working anticipated. The actual work pattern would be discussed at interview but we can offer a high degree of flexibility through our flexi-time policy. A minimum 25% of time would be expected to be in the Dumfries office, 25% out with the CTOs across the region and the rest home-working or in the Dumfries office.

• Be the visible face of TSDG to the Community Transport Operators so that they feel well-supported in their delivery.
• Support CTOs in their development aspirations such as decarbonisation, fleet replacement, governance etc.
• Work with CTOs to ensure that their Business Models are better able to attract grant funding and earned income.
• Work with the TSDG Employability team and CTOs to plan and deliver effective Employability programmes through CTOs.
• Plan and deliver a programme of region-wide volunteer-recruitment to CTOs, in partnership with CTOs to ensure that it matches local need.
• Work with CTOs to gather and evaluate relevant information as per the agreed plan around the impact of their services.
• Support colleagues across TSDG to deliver on our joint outcomes and contribute to effective team working to make TSDG a great place to work.

More about you

• You will have experience of business support or administration, or equivalent Training / Qualifications – this role would suit a new entrant with the right skills and approach.
• You will be able to quickly form excellent working relationships with a wide range of partners.
• You will highlight emerging opportunities to line management, displaying good judgment and a bias for action.
• You will take responsibility for delivery of your own outcomes, and to escalate challenges or concerns in good time.
• You will be a good team player, with good verbal and written communication skills and good knowledge of current common workplace IT systems.

You can read more about our exciting new approach to Community Transport, and the Business Case for the new model, here: Community Transport Dumfries and Galloway | Supporting the Development of Community Transport

Where the role fits in our organisation

Our Communities and Place team consists of our Employability, Learning and Skills, Community Transport, Volunteering, Children and Families and Locality teams. This role sits within the Employability, Learning and Skills, although the focus of the role is on Business Support and community engagement. No technical knowledge of Employability issues is required.

What You'll Do

The Employability Development Officer will play a critical role in evolving the role of the third sector in employability over the next three years. There is much potential in the sector that can be unlocked by discovering and implementing new ways of working that directly benefit the people of Dumfries and Galloway.

A detailed knowledge of Employability is not needed for this role – it is a business support role, and will not involve the direct delivery of any employability activities.

Instead, this role will support third sector organisations to understand how they could offer employability opportunities, and work with our public sector partners to make the support for individuals effective and seamless. You will form great relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, making sure you add real value to the lives of people seeking employment or training across Dumfries and Galloway.

This role would suit someone with experience of working in business support or administration for a third sector organisation and with ambitions to make an even bigger difference to the people of Dumfries and Galloway through a regional role, or a new entrant with the correct skills and approach.

The role will be line managed and supported by the Lead for Employability and further supported by the wider TSDG Comms and Business Support teams. It is principally a 9am – 5pm, 4 day/week role, with very limited evening or weekend working anticipated. The actual work pattern would be discussed at interview but we can offer a high degree of flexibility through our flexi-time policy. A maximum of 50% of time would be home-working, with the rest in the Dumfries office or out with partners.

Role responsibilities

Research, mapping and evidence development

• Create, maintain and analyse a comprehensive mapping of third sector employability and skills activity across Dumfries and Galloway.

Service design and co-production

• Co-facilitate Action Collabs or other engagement activities in communities across Dumfries and Galloway to identify barriers and generate solutions to remove barriers to TSOs offering employability opportunities.
• Produce insights reports, practice notes, and briefings for the Lead Officer and wider TSDG Leadership team.

Digital platform and resource development

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the shared digital knowledge hub.

Advice and support to third sector organisations

• Provide signposting, information and early-stage advice to TSOs developing employability-related activities.

Project administration support

• Ensure that accurate project documentation, databases, minutes, action logs and reporting trackers are maintained.
• Plan and administrate Employability events and activities, with Lead Officer support.

Excellence and continuous improvement

• Support colleagues across TSDG to deliver on our joint outcomes and contribute to effective team working to make TSDG a great place to work.

More about you

• You will have experience of business support or administration, or equivalent Training / Qualifications – this role would suit a new entrant with the right skills and approach.
• You will be able to quickly form excellent working relationships with a wide range of partners.
• You will highlight emerging opportunities to line management, displaying good judgment and a bias for action.
• You will take responsibility for delivery of your own outcomes, and to escalate challenges or concerns in good time.
• You will be a good team player, with good verbal and written communication skills and good knowledge of current common workplace IT systems.

Where the role fits in our organisation

Our Communities and Place team consists of our Community Transport, Employability, Volunteering, Children and Families and Locality teams. The Community Transport team reports to the Head of Communities and Place and works with the other teams to support our sector across a wide range of portfolios.

What You'll Do

We are looking for a colleague who is passionate about the impact and potential of our third sector and who is excited about leading a new project to success. As the lead for our new 4-year funded project CommunityTransportDG, you will be at the forefront of a different way of working in D&G. You will thrive on building strategic partnerships and relationships to achieve outcomes and will have a clear view of the challenges that this region faces and the many ways that community transport could mitigate those challenges. The successful candidate will be the policy lead for Community Transport across Dumfries and Galloway, working with regional and national partners and leading a small team to deliver outcomes that support local, regional and national challenges.

A detailed knowledge of Transport / Community Transport is not needed for this role– it is a leadership and strategic role and a full handover will be given to ensure all technical knowledge is transferred.

This role would suit a Development Officer or similar with experience of working in a leadership role for a third sector organisation and with ambitions to make an even bigger difference to the people of Dumfries and Galloway through a regional role.

The role will be line managed and supported by our Head of Communities and Place, but will have a high degree of autonomy as to how best to deliver the outcomes for our new model, CommunityTransportDG. They will be supported by an 80% Development Officer who will work with the Community Transport Operators to enhance their capacity, as well as by the wider TSDG Comms and Business Support teams. We are advertising for the Development Officer in parallel with this post, so this is an exciting opportunity to join and shape a new regional project in Dumfries and Galloway.

It is principally a 9am – 5pm, weekday role, with very limited evening or weekend working anticipated. A minimum 50% of time would be expected to be in the Dumfries office, with the rest home-working or in the community if preferred. We have a Flexi-time policy that supports this.

• Lead and grow CommunityTransportDG – a new regionwide organisation hosted within TSDG. See all details (including Business Plan) here. Community Transport Dumfries and Galloway | Supporting the Development of Community Transport
• Animate, coordinate and support community transport regionally, working closely with the existing Community Transport Operators.
• Partner with the regional agencies such as SWestrans, D&G Council and Health to understand and work to deliver better regional outcomes through community transport.
• Better understand and communicate thevalue of community transport regionally.
• Work to enhance volunteering and employability opportunities within the Community Transport sector.

More about you

• You will have evidenced experience of leadership, ideally within the third sector or comparable environments.
• You will have the ability to effectively represent TSDG and CommunityTransportDG in region-wide meetings.
• You will be able to act on emerging opportunities to achieve agreed outcomes, displaying good judgment and strategic consistency.
• You will be able to work as part of an internal team, share knowledge and benefit from the experience of others. You will be collegial and committed to our organisational values.
• You will be able to work collaboratively with external partners in order to achieve shared outcomes through influence and relational working.

Where the role fits in our organisation

Community Health and Wellbeing Our Community Health and Wellbeing team works alongside third sector organisations, partners and communities across Dumfries and Galloway to strengthen community health, wellbeing and social care support. The team supports collaboration, sector development, community engagement, partnership working and the development of innovative approaches that help communities thrive. The team includes Lead Officers, Development Officers and Coordinators working across thematic and place-based programmes to support collaboration, build sector capacity, strengthen connections and improve outcomes for communities across the region.

What You'll Do

We are looking for a highly organised and proactive colleague who is passionate about strengthening community health and wellbeing through effective coordination and partnership working. You’ll thrive on keeping complex workstreams running smoothly, supporting collaboration, and making sure information, communication, and resources flow seamlessly across our programme.

With a solid understanding of the third sector and strong coordination skills, you will play a key role in supporting the development of DGCollectives, helping to organise activity, maintain shared work plans, and ensure that our programme delivers high-quality support to organisations across Dumfries and Galloway.

• Coordinate collaborative activity across the Community Health and Wellbeing programme, scheduling meetings, preparing agendas, recording actions, and supporting meaningful follow-up.
• Maintain contact lists, communication channels, shared resources, and documentation for programme areas and collaboratives.
• Support Development Officers with planning and coordination across multiple thematic and place based workstreams.
• Prepare, update and organise shared work plans, trackers, reports and programme documentation to support smooth programme delivery.
• Support the coordination of shared systems, workflows and programme trackers to help maintain visibility across activity and priorities.
• Assist with the organisation of events, workshops, sector engagement sessions, and collaborative activities.
• Coordinate and support the delivery of forums, events, workshops, sector engagement sessions and collaborative activity across the programme.
• Produce clear, accessible updates, summaries and briefings for internal and external stakeholders.
• Help organise and maintain programme data, insight and records to support reporting, learning and continuous improvement.
• Support the Lead Officer and offer light-touch organisational support to the Deputy CEO when required.
• Represent TSDG professionally and contribute to a positive, supportive team culture.

More about you

• You bring experience of working within or alongside the third sector, ideally within health, social care, or community wellbeing.
• You are exceptionally organised, able to manage multiple priorities, track actions, and keep workstreams aligned.
• You’re confident creating and maintaining documentation, whether that’s action notes, work plans, trackers, or briefing materials
• You have strong communication skills and can build positive relationships with partners from different sectors.
• You’re comfortable analysing information, capturing learning, and communicating it clearly and accessibly.
• You’re digitally confident, with experience using tools such as Teams, shared drives, spreadsheets, or project management platforms.
• You work well both independently and as part of a dispersed team, sharing knowledge and supporting colleagues.
• You are self-motivated, committed to improvement, and keen to contribute to a programme that strengthens the sector and the communities we serve.

The Role:

The Grey Squirrel Control Officer will contribute to a programme of targeted grey squirrel control to protect key populations of Scotland’s red squirrels, in accordance with the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels plan to protect red squirrels in priority landscapes in South West Scotland. This role requires an individual with experience in mammal control work that enjoys working outdoors, who is approachable and enjoys interacting with people.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Delivering grey squirrel control, including supporting grey squirrel control volunteers and Red Squirrel Networks in the SSRS Priority Areas for Red squirrel Conservation. The role covers the South West of Scotland with the main areas of responsibility being Dumfries town and surrounding area, including local Priority Areas for Red squirrel Conservation.

Specifically this includes:

1. Carrying out targeted and strategic grey squirrel control in agreed areas according to the SSRS project’s Standard Operating Procedures.

2. Working collaboratively with other Grey Squirrel Control Officers, area volunteer group(s) and external organisations. This includes assisting with training new volunteers to take on the roles o monitoring and control activities.

3. Provide opportunities for new trainees to work with you on your trap-rounds to ensure they are capable of working to SSRS standards on private or publicly-held land and understand the principles of trapping for grey squirrel management.

4. Where required, carry out monitoring to assess squirrel presence e.g. feederbox camera traps

5. Work with the Lead Control Officer to deliver training sessions, where required, to new SSRS staff, volunteers and/or land managers in all aspects of best practice grey squirrel control, Rapid Response Monitoring and Squirrel Pox Sampling techniques.

6. Assist the SSRS Lead Control Officer and SSRS Communications Officer, as needed, in responding to enquiries from the public regarding grey squirrel control for red squirrel conservation.

The successful candidate will:

The successful candidate will possess an SVQ/NVQ level 2 or equivalent in Game and Wildlife Management or related discipline or relevant experience of game keeping, invasive/non-native mammal control or pest control. A good understanding of conservation principles, practices and legislation would also be desirable as would the ability to keep and maintain accurate records in Word and Excel.

Relevant previous experience is essential, together with experience working with landowners, gamekeepers, foresters and the public. A knowledge of forest and native tree species and familiarity with the Dumfries area would be advantageous.

There may occasionally be a requirement to work out of normal working hours.

You must possess a full clean driving licence.

The Trust is a passionate employer, proactive about creating a culture of diversity and inclusive workplace that promotes and values equal opportunities for all. We welcome individuals from all networks of life, backgrounds, and experiences.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and supported by project partners and the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.

About us

For more than 60 years, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has worked with its members, partners and supporters in pursuit of its vision of healthy, resilient ecosystems across Scotland’s land and seas.

The Trust successfully champions the cause of wildlife through policy and campaigning work, demonstrates best practice through practical conservation and innovative partnerships, and inspires people to take positive action through its education and engagement activities. The Trust manages a network of over 100 wildlife reserves across Scotland and is a member of the UK-wide Wildlife Trusts movement.